A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)
Olivia O'Neil-I suppose that depends on what your definition of 'okay' is.:P Elsa mostly wants to find out about modern technology, but she also wants to see a bit of her country's neighbor for herself and she also wants some info about said neighbor's government. :)
Elsa Tomago-You're welcome:) Agreed, of course they think that. Elsa doesn't mind that, though.:) Well, 'careful' sometimes isn't good enough...:P *cue corny cliffhanger music* :)
FluffyKitten-Thank you for deciding to review finally:) I don't mind, although I do love reading readers' feedback, lol.:P Not horribly wrong, just some wrong.:) (Elsa's better at using her magic now, and she knows how to act to keep from being identified in the first place.:)) I'd probably first be too shocked and nervous to say anything, and then I'd probably end up saying something stupid, or cry...especially if it was Elsa.:/ She helps me feel better when I'm upset sometimes, to be honest (and yes, I know that sounds stupid). Lol, I'll say up front that won't happen ON THIS TRIP, but it will happen later in the story:) And you're welcome.:)
orang biasa-You're welcome. I'm sorry I said so much to explain it, lol.:P Because she doesn't trust anyone to do it; she wants to see for herself. (And a smidgen because, eventual chance to kick butt, haha:) ) Thank you:) I actually did nothing on July 4th (no fireworks; it rained! :( ), but still.:)
On to the story!
The second it was completely dark, Linnae took off. Elsa, my eyesight is much better than that of humans, but I still cannot read signs from the sky, she warned.
"We are heading to a city called Cleveland, or the outskirts of it, at least," Elsa told her dragon. "It's in Ohio. We'll fly low since it's dark. Will that help?"
Yes, the dragon replied. Linnae sensed Elsa's unease, and she wished she could do something that would help. But she couldn't think of anything, so she just flew faster.
I can't speak to you verbally if we're going this fast. Elsa sent the ice dragon a message mentally, not comfortable with flying at this speed. What if they missed the city entirely? Elsa felt Kai hold her more tightly, and she thought he was probably more frightened than she was. At least she was used to flying in the first place…
Truthfully, Kai wasn't particularly disturbed with the whole thing; he was far more worried that he wouldn't be able to protect Elsa. Without using her magic, Elsa was just a young girl, and it made Kai feel responsible for her. Sure, Elsa had a gun in her purse, but deep inside Kai knew she wouldn't want to use it even if she had just cause.
Elsa sensed that they had reached the U.S. side of the lake not too long after that. This wasn't the same part of the Ohio shoreline that she'd seen before, though-there was no amusement park with lit-up rides to greet her. It was just dark. Linnae, can you echolocate? Elsa mentally asked her dragon. Maybe that will help find the car seller's house. I showed you the picture of what the house looks like, remember?
Linnae nodded and sent her reply: Yes. I figured that out from a bat I saw once. There are houses nearby. Do you want me to fly lower?
Yes, please. Elsa sighed in relief. Even if it took several tries, they'd be able to find the house before the time Diane had set up the meeting time for them.
Within an hour, Linnae had managed to locate the correct house, and Elsa hugged her created guardian as tightly as she could once the dragon had landed them in a dark and shadowy clump of trees in the seller's yard. "Thank you, Linnae. Now you've got to fly away from here as fast as possible. Go to Corona and find my cousin. I'll be in touch." Elsa smiled a bit and nodded when Linnae hesitated. "Go on, Linnae. You've got to leave-you'll give me away."
The dragon nodded and nuzzled Elsa's shoulder before flying off.
"Come on, Miss Elsa. You're Nicolette now," Kai said quietly. "Let's go. I don't know if this neighborhood is all that nice, and I don't know how safe it is."
Elsa was delighted to find out that the seller was just an older couple who were just selling their old car because they needed the money. No weird creepy mean people at all.
While the lady's husband took care of the business part, the lady began taking an interest in Elsa and just talking to her. "Are you his daughter?" the lady asked in a friendly voice. "You seem…familiar somehow. Can't be, though. I know I've never seen you before. What's your name?"
Elsa looked to Kai for help, but he was still talking with the lady's husband about the car and hadn't heard. She finally just nodded and didn't say anything aloud. Kai, please hurry up. I don't like this. This lady probably has seen me before-in that moving picture thing! She might have grandchildren she watched it with or something. "N…Nicolette," she said eventually. The stammer had not been on purpose, and Elsa wanted to smack herself for it.
"How old are you? Fourteen or so?" the lady asked.
Elsa's cheeks turned pink at that; she felt embarrassed even though that meant her 'disguise' and her acting-that-wasn't-entirely-acting was working. She nodded again, feeling bad for lying to this nice lady. The lady sort of reminded her of Gerda…just a bit more nosy.
The lady put a gentle hand on Elsa's arm, and Elsa flinched, worried the lady would realize Elsa's skin was naturally cooler than a normal person's. "You seem shy. You should be more sure of yourself; you're a sweet young lady," the lady informed Elsa matter-of-factly. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
Elsa watched Kai and the lady's husband (his name was Henry), wishing they would hurry up. How long did it take to buy a car?! Didn't Kai just need to pay the cash and then that was it? She was still thinking that over when the lady came back and draped a light denim jacket over her shoulders. Elsa looked at the lady quizzically, not understanding why the lady would give her something.
"My granddaughter grew out of it. You can have it, honey. You're so cold!" the lady said in concern.
"Thank you," Elsa replied. Of course, she wasn't cold in the least, but it made her happy to know that there was at least one person here that was kind to strangers. This lady didn't owe her anything.
"Your accent is adorable, although I can't quite place it," the lady said now.
Elsa's face turned red. Elsa, this is why you need to keep your mouth shut! What are you going to say now? Luckily Kai came over and just said, "Come along, Nicolette, it's time to go." Elsa sighed in relief and followed Kai over to the car.
Kai opened the door for Elsa on the passenger side, and Elsa climbed in slightly awkwardly. He quickly put Elsa's hand on the lever that moved the seat back and forth, knowing Elsa needed to move it back to make room for her braced leg. Elsa, please understand. I can't say anything else that makes us look unknowledgeable about cars.
But Elsa did understand, at least after a quick experimentation with said lever. She quickly shut the door and found the lock. Thanks, Kai. I hadn't thought of the possibility my stupid leg might get in the way.
The second they were out on the road, Elsa pulled out the directions to the motel. Kai looked very worried as he took the first turn according to the directions. "Miss Elsa, I got the man we bought this from to explain how to drive by claiming my previous car worked differently, but I still am not entirely sure what I'm doing. You are going to have to watch the street signs and help watch for…for traffic." Kai's voice was tense. Since it was nighttime, there weren't many people on the roads, but somehow he was sure that there would be more once they got on the 'interstate' thing.
"I could help drive," Elsa offered. "I've driven before. My ice-car I made."
"You can't, Miss Elsa. I heard you tell that lady you were almost fifteen, and that's too young. Evidently you have to be sixteen to drive here. Besides, neither of us have a driver's license, which I've deduced is another thing you're supposed to have, too. If we get stopped, I don't want you to be the one that gets in trouble." Kai's voice was tense as he carefully took the exit Elsa pointed out from the directions.
Elsa sighed. "We're almost there. I see the sign for the motel from here," she said quietly, pointing at the sign. Right now she just wanted to lie down and curl up in a ball. This vehicle wasn't smooth like her ice-car had been; she didn't feel safe riding in it. Other cars zoomed past, and she flinched. "Kai, I don't like this," Elsa admitted. Elsa, shut up. Kai has enough to worry about already without you freaking out.
"I don't like it any more than you do, Miss Elsa. We should be able to go home tomorrow evening," Kai reminded her. He instinctively beeped the car's horn back when another vehicle cut in front of them. "All right, we're here."
Inside the motel, Elsa eyed the newspapers stacked in a pile on a table while Kai got the key to the room. She frowned when she read a few of the headlines. Somebody had committed a mass shooting and there was another article debating the pros and cons of stricter gun laws. I'm supposed to have a gun permit. If anyone finds what's in my bag… Elsa understood the motive behind the idea of stricter gun laws, but she did not think that would help. If someone was going to go hurt someone, they would find a way to do it, law or no law, right? She decided she would ask Kai about it and see what he thought. Maybe she was just being stupid.
"Aren't you a bit young to be out of school already? Schools haven't let out for the summer yet," the sour-looking woman behind the counter asked, slightly accusingly in Elsa's opinion.
Elsa was still thinking over whether she should reply or not when Kai said without even looking up from the form he was filling out, "She has her schooling at home."
"Oh, a homeschooler. What for?"
Kai put the pen down and looked the woman in the face. "There were people picking on her because of her leg. Could you please leave her be? The key, if you please." Kai's voice said in no uncertain terms that he was not going to put up with any more nosy questions about his "daughter".
The woman made a face that Elsa immediately read as meaning that she thought Elsa was some poor little thing that needed to be fixed or treated differently. "I'm so sorry," she said a slightly patronizing tone of voice. "Let us know if she needs any different accommodations."
Elsa wished she could dump a pile of snow on the woman's head, but she merely scowled and said nothing. What's wrong with having lessons at home? I grew up 'homeschooled'. And Nicolette and real-me don't need to be treated differently. That's not fair.
Kai didn't want to make a scene, so he just snatched the room card key from the counter and handed it to Elsa, ignoring the woman altogether. "Come on, we'll find the room ourselves," he said to Elsa. "I think it's on the second floor."
They found the elevator easily, and Kai frowned as he watched Elsa's irritated expression disappear. Now she just looked upset. "There are people like that everywhere, Miss E-"
Elsa's head shot up from where she had been staring at her feet. "Not now! Explain later," she muttered under her breath. Ms. Diane told me there would be security moving picture camera things in most places. I don't think there's one in here, but I don't know, and I don't want us to risk it.
Once they had found the room and locked the door, Elsa sighed in relief. Ms. Diane had also told her there wouldn't be any moving picture things watching in a motel room, and she felt much more comfortable now. The idea of mechanical "eyes" watching her made her feel squirmy and uncomfortable. Kai and I managed to buy a cheap vehicle and find the motel, she 'said' to Linnae.
A few seconds passed before Linnae's reply came. I am still flying over Lake Erie, Elsa. The water looks pretty at night. Do I have to go to Corona?
Elsa sighed in frustration. Linnae, you are an important part of this plan! Your job is to go to Corona, find Rapunzel, and tell her what's going on. You need to be there before sunrise! she retorted. "Linnae is just flying around over Lake Erie right now!" Elsa vented to Kai a moment later. "I told her to go to Corona!"
"I think your ice dragon has an independent fun-loving streak, much like you do," Kai told her. "And she may not understand how serious the situation is in general. Miss Elsa, since she can't communicate with anyone besides you and Rapunzel, it'll be safe to tell her what's going on."
"But I did tell her," Elsa countered. She sighed in relief when Linnae's peeved message came a minute later, I am almost to Corona. I will send you another message whenever I find your cousin. "Linnae's almost there now," Elsa reported. "She says she'll send another message when she finds Rapunzel."
"I wouldn't expect a reply until morning then, Miss Elsa. Your cousin is probably asleep." Kai frowned when Elsa began tinkering with the heating-cooling unit mounted below the window in the room and cold air came blasting out-set at 56 degrees to be exact, the lowest it would go. "Miss Elsa, I agree that it's warm in here, but it's going to be freezing in here if you leave that thing set like that." Even all the way across the room, Kai could feel the chilly air from the air conditioning.
Elsa huffed a moment later as she felt the air coming out of the strange device. "That air is not fifty-six degrees like it says it is! It's over sixty! Sixty-one, to be exact." She turned the whole thing off entirely and set the room at sixty-five degrees herself, figuring that would be comfortably cool for her and not too cold for Kai.
Kai held back a chuckle. It figures that Elsa's internal thermometer is more accurate than that weird machine. "Miss Elsa, it feels fine, but I'm not sure you altering the temperature is a good idea. It would be stuffy in here with that strange device off if you hadn't cooled it down. Maybe set that thing on sixty-one or so, so it'll be around sixty-five in here. I know you like it cool indoors." Since Elsa had learned the key to controlling her powers just over ten months before, Kai had noticed that the castle had mysteriously-or rather not so mysteriously since everyone knew why-become comfortable even when it was sweltering outdoors.
Elsa obliged, but the inaccurate readings from the machine still annoyed her. She peeked out the window and suddenly whipped around to face Kai. "We have a problem. It's supposed to rain hard tomorrow," she said flatly. I can feel it. And I bet I didn't sense this before because one, I wasn't trying to, and two, because we're a long ways from home and I have a limit to my 'prediction range'…especially since it's not even like there's a hurricane coming or something, just lots and lots of rain.
"Why should that matter, Miss Elsa?"
Elsa stared at him. "Well, if you don't have a problem driving in the rain tomorrow, everything's fine," she deadpanned. She climbed on the bed closest to the air conditioner, knowing Kai wouldn't want that one anyway, and just crawled under the covers. I want to go home.
Kai debated on trying to talk to Elsa more, but decided to leave her be, knowing she was probably just already homesick and there was nothing he could do about that. They would just have to deal with the rain and be extra careful driving that car.
Early the next morning, Elsa woke up to the sound of rain drumming against the window. Usually she liked that sound, but at the moment it just worried her. Across the room, she could see that Kai was still asleep, and she decided she would go downstairs on her own and bring Kai back breakfast from the 'continental breakfast' thing in the lobby. That would be a good surprise since he was going through so much trouble to help her get information she needed. Just in case, she scribbled down a short note that said what she was doing; that way Kai wouldn't start worrying if he awoke before she came back.
After getting ready, she headed downstairs as quickly as she could. Getting the food was no problem; Elsa just chose two sweet pastries for herself and three for Kai, two bowls of funny-looking colored cereal labeled 'Froot Loops', and two cups of apple juice. She was carefully carrying the food back towards the elevator when someone bumped right into her. "Sorry," Elsa said to whoever it was, even though she was positive it hadn't been her fault. At least I didn't drop or spill anything.
"Watch where you're going! You bumped into my friend here," a boy said. Elsa thought he was probably about the same age as her cover character Nicolette.
"I said sorry. Excuse me," Elsa said quietly, not wanting to attract any attention. This whole venture relied on remaining invisible. Getting into a verbal fight was not remaining invisible, and it risked someone identifying her accent.
The other boy pushed her, but this time she was expecting it, so it still didn't really matter. "Got some money? We need some candy from the vending machine."
Elsa frowned. "No," she said, although she had a lot of it in her pocket. She'd decided to put half in her pocket and leave the other half in her big purse as a precaution in case this sort of thing happened. "Go get your own candy. I need to go."
"You pushed me!"
"I did not! You pushed me. Go away or I'll call for the manager," Elsa retorted, spotting the person in question a ways down the hall. At least, Elsa assumed she was the manager; it was the same sour woman from the night before. I didn't like how she treated me, but if she thinks I'm helpless, then she'll also make these idiots go away. Sure enough, without having to say a word, the manager strode down the hall and grabbed both boys' arms.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves! You should be on your way to school by now, not terrorizing my patrons!" the woman scolded. "I do apologize, miss," she added once the boys were gone. "Those were just my son and his friend…they would have done it to anyone near their age, although you being…"
Elsa followed the woman's gaze to her braced leg and made a face.
The woman knew Elsa understood, so she just said, "Yes, that. It made you more of a target because they thought you wouldn't do anything. Come here, I have something for you."
Elsa took a step backward. Ms. Diane told me not to accept offers like that, that I could get myself in trouble. She didn't think the woman was mean, nor did she think the woman meant her any harm; but she still sensed that the woman thought there was something wrong with her that needed fixing and that immediately made Elsa consider her untrustworthy. "I can't. I don't know you."
To Elsa's surprise, the woman laughed instead of appearing offended. "Cynical little thing, aren't you? Well, go on back to your room and eat your breakfast. I'll be up there in a few minutes with a cart of books and you can pick one then. I like to give one to every kid or teenager that comes in here if my son bothers him or her. Are you adopted? From Europe, perhaps? I can't place your accent exactly, but it's definitely European."
Elsa smiled at that and nodded, but she didn't volunteer any other information. Although the woman suspected nothing, anything Elsa said would be treading far too close to the truth. Maybe she was just grumpy last night? Or…I don't know. She still seems slightly sour and definitely prejudiced, but she's not mean.
Soon Elsa was safely back in the hotel room…met with a very worried Kai at the door. "Miss Elsa, please don't leave like that again. I'm supposed to be guarding you," he told her. "But thank you for bringing the breakfast."
"The lady from the lobby last night stopped her son and his friend from picking on me," Elsa reported. "She said she's coming up here with a book cart and that I could have one." She tilted her head to one side, considering what the woman had said. "I know she's not mean, but I think she's a little prejudiced or something, maybe."
Kai sighed. "You had to talk to her, I assume?"
"Just a little. She thinks you adopted me from somewhere in Europe, but she didn't know where. I didn't explain anything," Elsa said truthfully. She plopped back on her bed and popped a piece of the weird cereal in her mouth. "Froot Loops are disgustingly tasty," she quipped.
When the lady knocked in the door less than five minutes later, Kai opened the door. "Nicolette, you're supposed to come choose your book," he called to Elsa, who was just standing in front of the window watching the rain.
Elsa was actually happy to pick a book; she loved reading. In fact, she had no idea what to pick. A book about a valkyrie caught her eye, but she decided not to pick that one since choosing a book about Norse mythology might make the woman think she knew where Elsa was from…and she'd be half right. After a few minutes' deliberation, she picked a book about different architectural wonders around the world. That sounded interesting, and it was paperback, so it wouldn't take up a ton of room in her things. "Thank you very much," she said, hugging the book to her chest.
"You are quite welcome. Are you sure you want that one?" the woman asked, honestly more than a little surprised at 'Nicolette's' choice.
Kai smiled. "She loves architecture and engineering. Quite good at drawing blueprints, too," he said. Elsa had, after all, started drawing blueprints when she was years younger than her cover character's age, so that wasn't ridiculous in Kai's mind.
But the woman's eyes just grew big. "She draws blueprints at her age?! She can't be more than fifteen or sixteen at most!"
"I study a lot," Elsa said quickly. Kids here must not have as difficult schooling as Anna and I did, that's all.
It was a short distance to the bookstore, but Kai was having a lot of trouble navigating the car through the pouring down rain. They took three wrong turns and ended up back at the hotel. Elsa sighed and closed her eyes. "If I just moved this stupid rain…" She hated meddling with natural weather anyway, but not only that, she would be found out if she did that. Rain would not turn into a blizzard and then move away naturally. Linnae sent her the much-awaited message that she'd found Rapunzel and told her what was happening, and Elsa reported that to Kai.
"Thank goodness. At least that's going well," Kai said flatly. "Come on, Miss Elsa, let's try again."
They finally found the bookstore about twenty minutes later. Elsa grinned when she reached under the seat and found an umbrella that must have originally belonged to the elderly couple that had sold them the car. "Well, at least we won't get soaking wet walking in," she quipped.
Two hours later, Kai and Elsa walked out of the bookstore with a bag full of books on the subjects Elsa needed, on the pretense that Kai was a professor needing materials for his classes. Elsa was also happy because they had had plenty of extra money left over and she had chosen a book for Anna, along with ones for Nikoleta, Eliot, and Anikka. There were so many books in that store that Elsa had never seen in her life; it had been hard for her to pick. Sure, Elsa had access to a large library at home, but there were still many, many books that she didn't even know existed. "I think the bookstore is one thing I really, really like about this country," she told Kai once they were back in the car. "I could have spent all day in there."
"I'm sure you could have, Miss Elsa. We could go back in there this afternoon after we get ourselves some lunch, maybe. I see a pizza place next door to the bookstore…does that sound all right to you?" Kai suggested. Something told him they should save the food they had brought from home if at all possible…just in case. Everything was going too well, despite the issues with the rain.
Elsa nodded. "Do you mind plain cheese?"
IN CORONA…
"Hey, Blondie, you need to make that crazy creature stay here!" Eugene exclaimed. He knew exactly where the ice dragon had come from-Rapunzel's cousin Elsa-but he still thought Linnae was crazy. Rapunzel had told him what Linnae had told her, and his first thought was that Linnae had to stay away from the water when it was daylight.
Rapunzel knew Eugene was right, but she didn't know how to order Linnae to stay put, or even if she could. The dragon seemed obsessed with flying over the water, and while Rapunzel thought that was probably safe as long as Linnae stayed nearby…it was not safe to go way out over open water. "Linnae, come back!" she yelled.
I do not want to! Elsa just said I had to deliver the message! I shall be back later, Linnae told Rapunzel.
"If Elsa didn't expressly tell you to stay here, she probably assumed you'd be smart enough to do so!" Rapunzel shouted back. I wish I knew how to send you messages telepathically so I don't have to yell at you, you crazy dragon, she thought.
You just sent me one. I am NOT a crazy dragon! Linnae retorted instantly.
Rapunzel sighed. At least she had figured out one thing…right?
"She's not going to come back. Maybe she only obeys orders from Miss Icy," Eugene said quietly, giving Rapunzel a hug.
"When are you going to start calling my cousin 'Elsa' instead of 'Miss Icy'?"
Back in the United States, Elsa and Kai finished up their pizza late lunch. "Let's just start making our way back towards the coast," Elsa suggested once they were back in the car. "Being along the coastline should make it easier for Linnae to find us tonight in the pouring rain."
Kai nodded. "Sounds like a very good plan to me. Please just continue doing what you've been doing, Miss Elsa, watching for traffic and the like. It's raining even harder now."
"We need to head north," Elsa commented, half to herself and half to Kai. What if Linnae can't find us? What if we get caught before we can leave tonight…? She didn't voice her concerns, unwilling to worry Kai more. He already looked tense.
A while later, Elsa was just asking, "Kai, what are we going to do with the car when Lin-" when everything seemed to suddenly slow down. A wave of water washed over the windshield, and Elsa screamed as she saw a huge eighteen-wheeler truck barreling toward them, its tires squealing as it tried to slow down. If that hits us, we're dead, she thought. "The ditch, run us in the ditch!" she shouted. That would be safer than getting hit by that giant thing, wasn't it?
The car stalled in the water after sliding sideways and wouldn't move.
The giant truck flashed in front of them.
Elsa heard glass shattering and Kai shouting that he was sorry, and then felt their little car being flipped over and over. Instinctively she clutched the books and her bag on her lap and flung her other arm in front of Kai protectively. One, two…three…and a half, she found herself thinking. I should not use my magic, either.
She heard sickening scraping, scratching, and cracking noises, and then she felt a sharp pain in her head.
Elsa's last thought was, I am inexplicably upside down?
A/N: Um...that happened. Yeah. But they'll be okay.:) I figured something like that would have to happen sooner or later with neither Kai nor Elsa knowing much about driving a car, and all the water wasn't helpful, either.
Next chapter coming soon!
P.S. On a side note...happy birthday, Elsa! :) ("My" Elsa's birthday is/was July 2.:)) (And yes, it's still a month and a half ish before Elsa's birthday in the story.)